BIO: Martin C. Herman, Cumberland County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Judy Bookwalter Copyright 2009. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/cumberland/ ______________________________________________________________________ History of Cumberland and Adams Counties, Pennsylvania. Containing History of the Counties, Their Townships, Towns, Villages, Schools, Churches, Industries, Etc.; Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men; Biographies; History of Pennsylvania; Statistical and Miscellaneous Matter, Etc., Etc. Illustrated. Chicago: Warner, Beers & Co., 1886. http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/cumberland/beers/beers.htm ______________________________________________________________________ PART II. HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY. PENNSYLVANIA. CHAPTER XXXVIII. BOROUGH OF CARLISLE. 380 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. JUDGE MARTIN C. HERMAN, attorney at law, Carlisle, was born on the old family homestead near the village of New Kingston, Silver Spring Township, this county, February 14, 1841. This farm was purchased in 1771, by his great-grandfather, Martin Herman, who was born in Germany, and when a young man immigrated to America, landing in Philadelphia in 1754, where he remained a few years; then moved to Lancaster County, Penn., where he married Miss Anna Dorothea Boerst, and engaged in farming until 1771, when he purchased the old farm in Silver Spring Township, this county, where he died in 1804, aged seventy-two years. He and his wife, members of the Lutheran Church had four sons and four daughters. The sons were Christian, John, Jacob and Martin. Christian was born in Lancaster County, Penn., October 20, 1761, and died October 23, 1829. He was a farmer; a soldier in the war of the Revolution, he fought in the army under Washington at the battle of Germantown, passed through the trials and sufferings at Valley Forge, and participated in the important engagements of this branch of the Continental Army up to the siege of Yorktown, being present at the surrender of Cornwallis. He married Miss Elizabeth Bowers, of York County, Penn., in 1793. They were members of the Lutheran Church; had a family of eleven children, eight of whom lived to be men and women and had families, the sons being: John, Jacob, Martin, Christian and David; the daughters were Mary (married to Michael G. Betzhoover); Anna (married to Dr. Jacob Bosler, of Dayton, Ohio), and Eliza (married to Abram Bosler, of this county), Martin Herman, by occupation a farmer, was born on the old farm in Silver Spring Township, this county, July 10, 1801, and inherited the farm by will from his father, Christian Herman, and died May 22, 1872. He married in February 1827, Miss Elizabeth Wolford, who was born in 1802, in York County, Penn., a daughter of the Hon. Peter and Elizabeth (Albert) Wolford, former of whom was a prominent man of York County, Penn., having represented that county in the Legislature. Mr. and Mrs. Martin Herman were members of the Lutheran Church. She died July 30, 1852. They had six children: Margaret, wife of Ezra M. Myers, of Adams County, Penn.; Margery A., wife of the Rev. A. W. Lilly, of York, York Co., Penn.; Mary J., wife of Crawford Fleming, of Carlisle; P. Wolford, a farmer, who owns and resides on the old farm in Silver Spring Township, this county; Martin C., our subject; and David B., born December 29, 1844, killed by hostile Indians on the North Platt River, Neb., May 20, 1876, while he was in charge of a cattle ranch. He was a member of the Cumberland County bar, admitted in 1867. Judge Martin C. Herman, our subject, worked on the old farm with his father, and attended school during the winters, until the age of sixteen. He then entered the academy at York, Penn., presided over by George W. Ruby, and remained there until the close of their summer term of 1858. He then entered the freshman class of Dickinson College, in September, 1858, from which he graduated June 26, 1862. In his junior year at this institution he took the silver medal for oratory at the junior prize contest, and on June 24, 1862, delivered the seventy-sixth anniversary address of the Belles Lettres Society; but prior to this, in January, 1862, he registered as a law student in the office of B. McIntire & Son, at Bloomfield, Perry County, Penn. In April, 1863, he transferred his registry as a student of law to William H. Miller, of Carlisle; studied law with him, and was admitted to the bar of Cumberland County, January 13, 1864; began the practice of law in Carlisle, and has been actively engaged in that profession ever since. He was elected by the people of Cumberland County president judge of the Ninth Judicial District, composed of the county of Cumberland, at the general election of 1874, at that time being not quite thirty-four years of age. He took the bench on the first Monday of January, 1875, and served for ten years until the first Monday of January, 1885. Was renominated by acclamation in August, 1884. He was married June 5, 1873, to Miss Josie Adair, a native of Cumberland 381 BOROUGH OF CARLISLE. County, Penn., and a daughter of S. Dunlap Adair (deceased), at one time a brilliant and leading lawyer of the Cumberland County bar, and who married Miss Henrietta Gray, daughter of John Gray, of Carlisle. Mr. and Mrs. Herman have four children: Adair, Henrietta G., Joseph B. and Bessie H. Mrs. Herman is a member of St. John's Episcopal Church, and the Judge is one of the vestrymen. He is not only a representative of one of the oldest and best families of Cumberland County, with which he has been identified all his life, but is one of the self-made men, standing at the head of his profession, and having the confidence and esteem of all.